The guide to Italian Culture

The Italian character is complex, contradictory, alluring and infinitely variable: heirs to the greatest empire of the ancient world but almost ungovernable; the cradle of Western Civilisation as well as the Mafia; maestros of modern design, mired in old-fashioned bureaucracy; epicentre of the Catholic Church and exemplar of la dolce vita.

Speak the Culture: Italy sifts through the sprawling 3,000 year saga and makes sense of it, unravelling architecture, music, food, art, literature, cinema, family and all the other facets that contribute to the famous Boot (or Lo Stivale).

It’s a cultural guide to dip into, to learn, for instance, about Giuseppe Verdi, Sophia Loren or Umberto Eco; to find out what they achieved, how they lived and why they’re so important to the Italians and Italian culture.

Easily read and beautifully illustrated this, the fourth in the Speak the Culture series, offers an intimate understanding of Italian life and culture for holidaymakers, new residents, second homeowners, business travellers, students and lovers of Italy everywhere.